12-31-2012, 08:53 PM
All,
Firstly, Happy New Year everyone! Secondly, I do want to post something in the "UK Mauna Kea observatories under threat" thread (http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14519) but just haven't got my act together to do that yet. Will do because I said I would and don't like breaking promises.
Anyway, this is related to the observatory thread but since I don't think this'll get much attention in the local news, thought I'd mention that the UK has now pulled out of the Gemini Observatory and with that goes a significant part of its funding (25% or something close to that I believe).
I was at the Union Jack flag lowering ceremony there today and although this is a significant hit in funding for Gemini, and for all its employees, both local and international, they had smiles on their faces. Perhaps that was because they had finally got rid of the UK's extraordinary decisions on science funding and how to destroy their once proud reputation for funding and doing great science.
Anyway, I posted a couple of pictures on my own blog, and for anyone interested you can find them here:
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/2012/12...-time.html
There's more of this sort of thing coming in the next year or two unfortunately. It'll hit the local economy too but is unlikely to reported intelligently by the local rags. A few million dollars for the Big Island has just disappeared out of the door...
Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/
Firstly, Happy New Year everyone! Secondly, I do want to post something in the "UK Mauna Kea observatories under threat" thread (http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14519) but just haven't got my act together to do that yet. Will do because I said I would and don't like breaking promises.
Anyway, this is related to the observatory thread but since I don't think this'll get much attention in the local news, thought I'd mention that the UK has now pulled out of the Gemini Observatory and with that goes a significant part of its funding (25% or something close to that I believe).
I was at the Union Jack flag lowering ceremony there today and although this is a significant hit in funding for Gemini, and for all its employees, both local and international, they had smiles on their faces. Perhaps that was because they had finally got rid of the UK's extraordinary decisions on science funding and how to destroy their once proud reputation for funding and doing great science.
Anyway, I posted a couple of pictures on my own blog, and for anyone interested you can find them here:
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/2012/12...-time.html
There's more of this sort of thing coming in the next year or two unfortunately. It'll hit the local economy too but is unlikely to reported intelligently by the local rags. A few million dollars for the Big Island has just disappeared out of the door...
Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/